Bake
Chapter 1: Bake & Cake The second Percy set foot through the door of the apartment smoke immediately filled his lungs and stung his eyes. Coughing, the teen stumbled into the kitchen blinking rapidly. "Mom?" He called out, squinting through the dark haze floating around the apartment. It was difficult to see anything and Percy tripped over the couch as he tried to maneuver around the small living room closet. When he got no reply, panic surged through his veins and he found that his legs were moving faster until he'd reached the kitchen and hauled himself over the counter top (because really it was much too difficult to go around). "Mom?" He shouted once more, this time a little more desperate but could easily be blamed on the fact that he was wheezing. "Oh!" A shout comes from his right which is followed by a loud clanking sound. "Percy! In here! I'm baking cupcakes!" Percy follows her voice until he finds his mom stooped over the oven, sticking a toothpick into a charred brown mess. "You're baking?" He asks incredulously, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion. He walks closer until he's standing at her side. Ever since the day he'd been born Sally Jackson had never once had enough time to bake anything. Doughy goods were something Percy had always stopped to salivate over in bakery windows when he was younger. No, baking was out of the question because of all the jobs Sally barely managed to balance. There was the occasional blue pancake every now and then but other than that it was usually take-out or microwavable meals. Mrs. Jackson stands up and smoothes her apron then smiles at him, her mom smile, which always makes Percy's heart melt. He loves his mom to death, and he's not going to hide that. So, when she doesn't answer his question he just rushes forward and gives her a big bear hug. She laughs and gives him a good squeeze before gently pushing him off. "If you really want to know why I'm baking you can take a guess from the following: 1) I thought I'd tackle the art of baking so I can be the next champion of Cake Boss. 2) It's your step-brother Tyson's birthday tomorrow and he absolutely loves cupcakes so I thought it would be fun to torture myself to make him some." Percy makes a show of pretending to think then says: "When you win Cake Boss, and get thousands of dollars, remember who was always there for you." Sally rolls her eyes in response then bends down to peer at the cupcakes once more. "They look nearly done." She comments in a neutral tone. Percy lets his gaze trace the smoke still lingering in the air then glances back at his mom. The next words he speaks are not easy, but they must be said. "Mom...I'm sorry but I don't know if you've realized but there's an awful lot of smoke in the air and we should probably clear it out before we die from, like, lack of oxygen or something." He pauses and gestures to the blackened cupcakes. "And those are probably not the best to give to Tyson. He might think they're bricks and try to build a castle with them." There's a long silence and Percy nervously backs up a few feet, wondering if he's stepped over the line. Then Sally bursts out laughing and soon she's leaning against the side of the counter and tears are sliding down her cheeks. "Oh Percy, I knew you wouldn't lie to me." She stops for a moment to shake her head, smiling the whole time. "I tried to tell myself it wasn't awful but by the look on your face when you came in I knew I'd done something wrong." Percy didn't know whether he should let her be or voice his agreement. He chose the former. Sally finished her laughing attack and wiped the tears from her eyes, still chuckling. "Here's the plan, kid. You're gonna go down to Bake & Cake and grab up a baker's dozen blue cupcakes, chocolate flavored with some pictures of sticks in frosting on top." Percy didn't have enough time to complain about going back into the city just as he got home before he was being ushered out of the apartment and the door had been slammed behind him. He frowned, then shrugged and shoved his hands into his pockets as he began the long trek to Bake & Cake. It was a ways away, over a mile away because of the route he was forced to take. With the stoplights, skirting around buildings and avoiding bumping into passerby it took him nearly twenty or some minutes to get to the bakery. As Percy grabbed the door and pulled it open he nearly stopped in his tracks. There, at the counter stood the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen. She wore a Bake & Cake apron, fastened around her waist and a Bake & Cake baseball cap atop the gorgeous blonde curls that also perched themselves on her head and framed her perfect face. Percy wasn't sure what he was feeling, but it was doing strange things to his body. He tripped over a chair on his way to the counter and hit his head on the table as he went down. Normally, he would have been in pain, but not today. He dragged himself toward the counter, propped an elbow up and gave the girl what he hoped was a charming smile. She seemed flustered, her cheeks gone red and her eyes darting anywhere except for him. Oh right... he must seem a little strange making such a scene. "So uh..." He cleared his throat and tried again. "I need a baker's dozen of chocolate cupcakes. Um...with uh..." Percy drifted off and bit his lip to try and recall what else his mom had asked for. The girl tucked a few curls behind her ear and scanned him with her piercing grey eyes. "And?" She prompted with a face of stone. Percy couldn't read her emotions, but generally he had no idea what any girls thought so he didn't try. "With...oh yeah. Frosting sticks on top," he snapped his fingers and grinned. The girl just nodded and typed something into the register. "That'll be $21.03 please." Percy, however, hadn't heard what she'd been saying because he was trying to make out the letters on her nametag. NAANEHBT He squinted in confusion. What sort of name was NAABEHBT? "Excuse me? Sir?" NAABEHBT cut into his thoughts and pointed to the cash register. "You need to pay for your cupcakes." "Yeah, of course. I uh..." Percy fumbled for his wallet and pulled out a twenty. "Is this...I only have this." The blonde haired girl eyed the bill in his hand and sighed. "You still need a dollar and three cents." "Oh. Um...okay. Can you put the order in and I'll be right back?" "Fine." And with that, silently cursing himself, Percy left the bakery in order to scavenge pennies from the ground outside. But he didn't really mind, the prospect of seeing the girl again kept his spirits high. *NEXT CHAPTER *BLUE CUPCAKES INDEX Category:Blue Cupcakes Category:HunterofArtemis12 Category:Hunter's little collection of Fanfiction Category:Fanfiction